Even at this season
there is only a depth of four feet in many places, and a month hence the
river will be impassable.
"Tayib Agha's boats are in sight, about four miles distance, bearing
north. We cut through the small sudd, and in a quarter of a mile, we
arrived at an open water, very shallow: in many places only three feet
deep. Stopped for the fleet, and upon arrival of the steamer and others,
I had marked out the channel to be cleared. The men set to work
immediately. I then passed ahead with the diahbeeah for about a mile and
a half, the depth of water, as usual, varying, but often as low as four
feet. We were at length stopped at the confluence of two channels, each
shallow. The sun was setting, therefore we halted for the night. A
buffalo crossed the river about 200 yards ahead.
"February 4.-I took the dingy early in the morning and explored both
channels; that on the right has no water beyond a depth of about two
feet. The left is the true stream, but the depth in some places is only
three feet; thus there is more work for the men upon their arrival. Had
we arrived here a month earlier, we could have just passed the shallows,
as our vessels draw an average of a little over four feet. No vessels
should arrive here later than 1st of January; the entire river is a
ridiculous imposition; a month later, the bed will be nearly dry. A mile
ahead, both channels are closed by a sudd of vegetation, we must thus
await until the boats arrive. Altogether the entire journey by the Bahr
Giraffe is a painful absurdity, and my expedition will be fruitless in
all but geographical results unless the authorities of the Soudan will
clear the main channel of the White Nile.
"February 5.-None of the vessels arrived yesterday. I went back and
found them in a terrible fix, as the water is leaving us rapidly, and we
must cut a fresh channel through the sand, about one hundred yards long.
"February 6.-I took the diahbeeah a mile and a quarter ahead to a sudd,
passing over several shallows of only two feet eight inches, and three
feet, which will again cause great delay and labour. I returned to the
fleet and assisted in the tedious work of dragging the vessels over the
shallows. In the evening I returned to the diahbeeah, and having dragged
the dingy across the sudd, I explored the channel ahead for an hour, for
about three miles; passed over distressing shallows for a space of a
quarter of a mile ahead of the diahbeeah, after which I entered a deep,
narrow channel with very rapid current.
"It is quite impossible to say where we are as the professed guides seem
to know nothing of this horrible chaos, which changes its appearance
constantly.
